Jaguar F-Type priced from $139,000

New roadster will sit in between Porsche's Boxster and 911 heroes.

Jaguar F-Type priced from $139,000

First drive: Jaguar F-TypeEnzo Ferrari called it the most beautiful car in the world. Now the legendary E-Type has a spiritual successor.

Jaguar's new F-Type roadster will be priced between Porsche's Boxster S and 911 drop-tops, with prices ranging from $139,000 for the entry level V6 to $202,300 for the range-topping V8.

The standard F-Type will come with automatic transmission as standard - no manual is offered - and Jaguar says its 250kW supercharged V6 will propel it from 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds.

That compares with a price tag of $125,600 for the Boxster S manual (the PDK twin-clutch auto is $5995) which has 232kW and will complete the 0-100km/h sprint in a claimed 5.0 seconds in PDK auto form (or 4.8 seconds if fitted with the optional launch control system).

It also places the new Jaguar F-Type - seen as a spiritual successor to the legendary E-Type - in the same ballpark as the six-cylinder versions of the Mercedes-Benz SLK and BMW's Z4.

The F-Type S will cost from $171,400 and will get a 280kW supercharged V6, as well as bigger wheels, adaptive dynamics and an active muffler.

The top of the range V8 model has a significant price advantage over the 911 Cabriolet, which starts at $228,900. Its 364kW supercharged V8 also shades the Carrera and Carrera S, which put out 257kW and 294kW respectively.

The new Jaguar would have had a bigger price advantage over its German rival had Porsche not recently taken the knife to its entire range, cutting the price of the Boxster S by $6800 and slashing the Carrera convertible by $25,700.

The Porsche price changes will come into effect in June just two months before the F-Type arrives in local dealerships in August.

Jaguar hasn't gone into detail about exact specification, but brand manager Mark Eedle says the equipment list will be generous. Both cars will also come with three years' free servicing.

Eedle says Jaguar didn't adjust its pricing when it heard of the Porsche price cuts.

The brand has already taken 18 orders for the sports car, with buyers split 50-50 between the V6 and V8 models.

Jaguar has modest sales expectations for the car, budgeting for roughly 120 sales a year.

But Eedle says the new F-Type will provide the local operation with more than just additional sales volume.

"It will bring a lot to the brand. It's halo car that will bring people into the brand and open their eyes to our other offerings," he says.

Eedle says all three cars will come with various styling personalisation options.

"There are various trim options, with the opportunity to tailor the car to your individual tastes," he says.